Gallery: Staff Picks: Foods We Want to Eat More of in 2012

More Fewer Burgers

As much as I love pizza and burgers, I find that often my job dictates that I eat more of them than I normally would, which necessarily takes away from many of the things that I truly do want to eat. This year I plan on eating more of my favorite things (say, tofu and sea urchin) and devoting more of my time to discover creative ways to fulfill my professional duties without fully filling my belly with burgers. —Kenji
Lopez-Alt

[Illustration: Robyn Lee]

More Slow-Cooked Pork

In all its forms. Obviously barbecue, as well as the lechonera-style from Latin American restaurants and the big pork shoulders that are braised until they're fork-tender and served in brown sauce, like we just had at Shanghai Cafe Deluxe. The world should avail itself of more slow-cooked pork. —Ed Levine

More Fresh Fruits and Vegetables

There was a time when fresh fruits and vegetables were a regular part of my diet. This period ended back in high school when my health-conscious mom controlled the kitchen and before I went to college and realized, "I CAN EAT WHATEVER I WANT? I CAN EAT WHATEVER I WANT." "Whatever I want" apparently meant less produce. Eight years later, I'm thinking I should've listened to my mom. This year I'd like to eat more fruits and vegetables and hopefully feel less crappy health-wise in the process. —Robyn Lee

Be More Semi-Vegetarian

I'm not going to swear off the occasional In-N-Out cheeseburger or fish as a whole species (especially the small, oily ones like anchovies), but my diet has become more semi-veg-leaning. This year I'd like to eat and cook even more all-veg and semi-veg meals. They should of course still be hearty, flavor-packed, imaginative, and hopefully go beyond just a PB&J. One of my favorite recipes so far this year is this Sweet and Spicy Brussels Sprouts with Tofu and Shiitake Mushrooms from Plenty. I have a bit of a cookbook crush on Plenty. —Erin Zimmer

More Eggs

This might sound pedestrian, but I want to eat more eggs. The truth is I hardly eat them because I prefer sweet over savory in the morning. Quiches, scrambles, frittatas. Maybe a nice poached egg over my salad. Chickens, prepare yourselves. 2012 will be the Year of Eggs for Dinner. —Carrie Vasios

More Awesome Tofu

With the exception of Brussels sprouts, which are now almost universally accepted as awesome, I can't think of an ingredient more unfairly maligned than tofu. Sure, when it's passed off as a turkey substitute or cream cheese alternative it's pretty unappetizing, but good tofu is one of my favorite foods anywhere. I've spent a number of lunches this year wandering down the street to buy a $1 container full of fresh soft tofu. It makes an excellent lunch in a pinch, but I'd love to eat tofu more widely, from the awesome fresh versions at EN Japanese Brasserie and Cocoran in NYC to fried tofu at any one of a dozen restaurants near us to just about anything else made with the stuff. —Carey Jones

More Home Cooked Food

I know it's ridiculous for someone who works at a food blog to rarely cook on weeknights—blame the late hours and the fantastic delivery options in my Manhattan neighborhood. But in 2012, I'm vowing to cook more, to eat less takeout, and to get re-inspired by cookbooks rather than getting bored with old standbys. First on the list: this recipe for Soba with Eggplant and Mango with basil and cilantro from Plenty by Yotam Ottolenghi. —Maggie
Hoffman

[Photograph: Jonathan Lovekin]

Good burgers and good pizza

I love really love these foods but almost never eat them. Obviously I am surrounded constantly by talk of them, read a lot about them on the site, and look at all the delicious-looking pics. Yet it's extremely rare that I order a burger or grab a slice. Uh, a "discerning" slice before midnight that is. —Leandra Palermo

More.. Less Crap

I have to second Kenji but widen my category to "Crap". So, I want to eat "More Less Crap". Unlike Kenji, it's not my job to consume an obscene amount of pizza or burgers or the like, but I still feel like whatever I eat somehow turns into something like the photo here (a deep-fried bacon bomb stuffed with cream cheese). I haven't had a lot of time to cook at home, so that's really what I would like to do in 2012. Eat more home-cooked food. (Which will be a challenge, considering there are about a bajillion things I still want to try in NYC!) —Christine Tsai

More Peas

2011 oozed roasted root vegetables, so I'm declaring 2012 the year of the legume. I also want to learn more about whiskey. That counts as eating, right? —Jessica Leibowitz

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